1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is that of package and article carriers, and, in particular, package and article carriers borne by a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Owners of vehicles frequently need to carry objects on the exterior, rather than the interior, of their vehicles. This may be because the objects are too long and awkward to place inside, such as skis and ski poles, snow boards, sleds, toboggans, canoes, kayaks, surfboards, wheelchairs, and bicycles, or simply because the available storage space inside the vehicle is insufficient. Accordingly, many devices have been designed over the years which are intended to be fastened to a vehicle for the purpose of carrying such objects.
Racks are commonly attached to the roofs of vehicles to carry such objects as skis, canoes, and bicycles. Examples of utility racks intended to be mounted on the roof of a vehicle are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,833,453 to Barreca, 3,239,115 to Bott et al., 3,601,294 to Gjesdahl, 3,638,844 to Bronson, 3,719,297 to Nowicki, and 4,728,019 to Olliges. The utility racks in these patents include elongated members which extend across the roof, from one side of the vehicle to the other, and are anchored to trough-like rain gutters along the sides of the roof. The elongated members may be supported directly by the rain gutter or may be supported by legs or suction cups which rest against or adhere by suction to the roof of the vehicle.
Another common and important place for an external carrier is on the trunk or at the rear of a vehicle. This is a desirable position because some people do not have the upper body strength necessary to lift objects onto the roof carriers of a vehicle and therefore the objects should be mounted lower on the vehicle. This is especially the case when wheelchairs are to be carried, because these are rather heavy objects. An example of a carrier which fastens to the trunk or rear of a vehicle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,499 to Hoerner.
Regardless of the place of attachment, a carrying device such as a utility rack must meet certain criteria. For example, it must be firmly attached to the vehicle so that the carrier and the supported object do not part company with the vehicle during turns, accelerations, decelerations, and other sudden movements. The carrier must also be strong enough to bear the weight of the intended load. The carrier should be secured to the vehicle in such a way that it is not easily stolen. This frequently involves the use of a lock of some kind. The carrier should not scratch the paint finish or otherwise damage the vehicle to which it is attached. Preferably, the carrier should not require the installation of permanent mounting devices so that the vehicle requires no alterations whatsoever and will retain its original appearance when the carrier is removed. The carrier should be inexpensive to make and should be adjustable to vehicles of different sizes and configurations. The carrier also should be easy to attach and remove from the vehicle.
A need exists for a utility rack which adequately meets all of the above listed criteria.